


Chuck Versus the Observations

by who_is_sabrina



Category: Chuck (TV)
Genre: Buy More, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:35:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28893750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/who_is_sabrina/pseuds/who_is_sabrina
Summary: The Buy More employees may not be the sharpest knives in the drawer, but they aren't completely clueless all the time. And since Chuck is their unofficial leader, they pay a little more attention to him than he realizes. Here are some of the things they've noticed, in no particular order.
Relationships: Chuck Bartowski & Morgan Grimes
Kudos: 10





	Chuck Versus the Observations

“Is it straight?” Morgan asked, puffing out his chest to display his Buy More name tag to Big Mike. “Does it look good?”

Big Mike said nothing and strode away, without so much as a backward glance at the rest of his employees.

Morgan, still grinning from ear to ear and radiating pride, sauntered to the back of the Nerd Herder and lounged against it, between Anna and Lester.

“Looks like you’re the big hero, babe.” Anna cupped Morgan’s head in her hands and kissed him. Morgan leaned into it and they almost fell over, Anna unbalanced with only one shoe. They sagged against Lester, who frowned.

“Wait a minute,” he said. “Jeffrey deserves some credit, too.” He rapped his knuckles on the rear windshield of the Herder, where Jeff sat in the hatchback trunk with his knees drawn up to his chest, watching the chaos unfold with wide eyes. “Although,” Lester continued, musing aloud, “Jeffrey did say Chuck was the one who said ‘pineapple’ to begin with.”

Neither Morgan nor Anna responded, busy as they were.

Lester cast his gaze around the crowded parking lot, scanning the sea of faces, the rush of color as employees, shoppers, and firemen alike ducked between vehicles and palm trees. Clusters of green shirts milled near the Buy More, but the only white shirts he could pick out were on customers. Chuck’s head and shoulders, usually pretty visible above a crowd, were nowhere to be seen. “Where is Chuck, by the way?”

That was enough for Morgan to surface, disentangling himself from Anna and scanning the crowd. The exuberant glow on his features faded, his mouth straightening into a tense line, a crease appearing between his eyebrows, just visible at the fringes of his bangs. “Hey, yeah,” he said. “I haven’t seen him since the evacuation.” He looked questioningly at Lester, who shook his head.

Morgan turned on Jeff. “What about you?”

“Nope,” Jeff said, voice muffled through the glass. “Last I saw him was when he said ‘pineapple.’ He was walking through the store with this scary customer with an evil-looking scar on his face.” He gestured at his own eye in demonstration.

Lester grimaced sympathetically. “Ugh,” he said. “Anyone notice how all the terrifying customers seem to gravitate to Chuck?”

Morgan shrugged. “Eh, he can handle any customer.” He jumped, trying to get a glimpse over the surrounding people. “I just want to know he made it out okay.”

“It’s all right, honey,” Anna said, attempting to stroke Morgan’s cheek as he swiveled his head in all directions, eyes squinting in the Burbank sunlight as he searched for his best friend. “I’m sure they would’ve said something if there were still people in there. And if Chuck started the evacuation, he was probably one of the first to get out. Maybe he went home, or went to see Sarah.”

Morgan nodded. He eased back against the Herder, relaxing his posture, but still wringing his hands. “You’re probably right.”

“Yeah,” Lester agreed. It was a bit odd that Chuck hadn’t mingled outside the store with the rest of them, even just to check in, but then again, Chuck had been vanishing a lot lately. “He’s gotta be enjoying some offensively fried food at the Wienerlicious with his hottie.” Lester shook his head. “Lucky bastard.”

Morgan said nothing. Anna was kissing him again.

* * *

“Game time!” Morgan followed Chuck through the hallway and into his room. “Ready?”

“Absolutely,” Chuck said emphatically, kneeling down in front of his TV.

“Yes! This is gonna be so much fun, dude.” Morgan settled onto Chuck’s bed with a grin. “Plus, it’s a good way to get your mind off things.”

Chuck shook his head, pulling out two game controllers and working at untangling the cords. “I said I’m fine, buddy.”

“Oh, please. You don’t have to tell me what’s wrong, but don’t insult my Chuck knowledge, okay? I can tell when something’s bothering you.” Morgan leaned back against the headboard and crossed his arms over his chest. His skin came into contact with something cold, and he glanced down. A piece of turkey clung to his T-shirt–a remnant of the sandwich he had just enjoyed with Chuck.

“Okay,” Chuck said, and although he was facing the other direction, Morgan could hear the smile in his voice. “Fair enough.”

Morgan plucked the turkey scrap off his shirt. “Yep, there are few things in this world I know better than Chuck Bartowski–or Ellie, for that matter.” He leaned over the side of the bed and made to drop the turkey in the wire-framed trash bin. He stopped, his hand suspended in mid-air above a wad of stark white fabric.

“Hey, why are you throwing your Nerd Herd shirt away?” Morgan asked, tugging the fabric out of the trash and flicking the turkey into its place. “It looks totally clean!” He started to shake out the shirt, letting it hang from his grip.

Chuck whipped around so fast that he slammed his shins into the edge of the bed. “Ah!” He toppled onto the covers and grabbed for his discarded shirt. “Morgan, no, wait–!”

But the shirt had already fallen open from its crumpled ball. Morgan blinked at it. Chuck said nothing.

The shirt had a ragged hole through the front, on the left side. Morgan stuck his fingers through it, bewildered. “What the hell did you do to your shirt?”

“Oh, uh–” Chuck laughed, breathless. Nervous. “I– you know, it tore.”

“I see that.” Morgan wiggled his fingers through the hole, eyebrows raised. “Jeez, it looks like a bullet hole.”

“Bullet–?” Chuck’s voice, pitched higher in an oddly frantic tone, broke off into a desperate wheeze. “Wh-what are you talking about?” He swallowed audibly. “Bullet hole,” he scoffed. “You been binging action movies lately?”

“How did you do it, then?” Morgan asked, finally letting Chuck snatch the shirt away.

“Ah, just being careless,” Chuck said, stuffing it back into the trash, cramming it between crinkly plastic wrap and a to-go container from Wienerlicious. “I took off the shirt and shoved it in my bag, and I guess I accidentally, uh, impaled it on a pen.”

“Huh.” Morgan sat back against the bed again, slouching into a comfortable position. “Must’ve been a pretty big pen.”

One corner of Chuck’s mouth lifted, exposing his teeth in a half grin. “Yeah,” he said. “I guess so. Good thing we have spare uniforms, right?”

“Yeah,” Morgan said, echoing Chuck. “I guess so.”

Sighing quietly, Chuck crawled back to the end of the bed and pulled up the two controllers. He pressed one into Morgan’s hands. “Anyway, enough about the shirt. Let’s play, huh?” Chuck settled against the headboard beside Morgan.

“Uh, Chuck?”

“Yeah?”

“You kind of have to turn it on.” Morgan nodded at the blank TV screen in front of them.

“Oh.” Chuck scrambled off the bed again. “Right.”

* * *

Anna threaded through the camera aisle and craned her neck, glancing around the store. There. At the Nerd Herd desk.

She turned and started down the main walkway, her heels clicking on the tiled path, something brightening within her at the sight of her boyfriend. He was leaning with his back against the counter, talking animatedly with Chuck, who was leaning back in the office chair with his feet propped up on the desk, displaying the familiar pattern across the bottom of his signature black Converse sneakers–his Chucks. The desktop around them was clear of clutter and surprisingly clean, considering yesterday’s Black Friday evacuation debacle.

“Hey, honey,” Anna called as she reached the counter, leaning over the top to give Morgan a quick kiss. “It’s almost closing,” she said. “Ready to go?”

“You bet!” Morgan said, hopping up.

“Oh, got a date tonight?” Chuck asked them, grinning toothily.

“Yeah, man.” Morgan rubbed his hands together. “We got reservations at that new Thai place downtown.”

“Fancy!” Chuck high-fived Morgan. “Sounds like a great night.”

“For sure.” Morgan turned to grin back at Anna. “I’m gonna grab my stuff from my locker, and I’ll meet you at the front door.” He waited for Anna’s answering nod, then twisted back to Chuck.

“See you later, buddy,” Chuck said, with a quick two-fingered salute.

“See ya!” Morgan slapped Chuck’s chest in a friendly gesture as he left, slipping out from behind the Nerd Herd desk and almost running for the break room.

Chuck’s reaction was so quick that Anna would have missed it if she had blinked.

His features crinkled and he winced, one hand darting instinctively to a spot on the left side of his torso. But he pulled his hand back just as quickly, masking his expression until only a slight crease between the eyebrows remained.

Anna frowned, leaning forward over the desk. “You okay, Chuckles?” she asked.

He glanced up at her, eyes wide. “What?” he asked. “Me? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

“It looked like that hurt you, just then.” Anna pursed her lips, clicking her painted fingernails against the countertop.

“Oh, that?” Chuck grinned disarmingly, waving her concern away. “It’s just a little bruise,” he said.

She continued to watch him in expectant silence.

“From yesterday,” he said, giving in to her wordless questioning. “I, uh–” He dropped her gaze, his eyes darting around the store, as if for inspiration. “I ran into the speaker display during the evacuation. I mean, you saw how crazy it was. All those people running around, shoving everyone.”

Anna hummed in agreement. “Yeah, I see how that could happen. I nearly got trampled, but Morgan saved me,” she told him with a grin. “I’m surprised more people didn’t get hurt, actually.”

“Yeah,” Chuck said. “There were a lot of close calls yesterday.”

Movement caught Anna’s attention; Morgan was hurrying back toward them. She stepped away from the counter. “Well, see you later, Chuck,” she said. “Glad you’re okay.”

“You, too.” Chuck eased back in the chair again, crossing his arms. “You two kids have fun,” he said.

Anna and Morgan waved at him as they headed for the sliding glass doors.

They were stuck in downtown traffic by the time Anna remembered they had only put the speaker display up that morning.

She forgot about it somewhere between dinner and dessert.


End file.
